Northern Avenue Bridge

Northern Avenue Bridge against the Boston skyline in 2013

The Northern Avenue Bridge, also known as the Old Northern Avenue Bridge is a bridge that spans Fort Point Channel Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1908, it was closed to vehicle traffic in 1999 and operated as a pedestrian bridge until December 2014 when it was closed after inspectors found that thirteen floor beams were unsafe for pedestrians.[1] The center span of the truss also carried a single track for the Union Freight Railroad, although it was designed for two tracks.[2] From 1912 to 1948, the bridge abutted a floating firehouse for Engine 44 of the Boston Fire Department.[3] Following its closure as a road bridge, various redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge, as well as outright demolition of the span.[4]

The bridge has been closed to all use since December 2014

Replacement

On January 20, 2016, the Boston Globe reported that the City of Boston will spend $100 million to reopen the bridge, as part of its agreement to bring General Electric's headquarters to the South Boston Waterfront.[5] Two days later, the Globe reported that the bridge would instead be removed, and possibly replaced.[6][7]

Later in the spring, the City of Boston and the Boston Society of Architects sponsored an "ideas competition" for reconstruction or replacement of the bridge.[8] The winning ideas were announced in May.[9][10]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northern Avenue Bridge (Boston).
  1. ↑ Dungca, Nicole (19 December 2014). "City closes Northern Avenue Bridge in South Boston". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Northern Avenue Swing Bridge, Spanning Fort Point Channel at boundary between Boston & South Boston, Boston, Suffolk County, MA". Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "NON-EXTANT FORMER FIRE HOUSE 18 Northern Avenue (Northern Avenue Bridge), South Boston Engine Company 44 (Fireboat)". Boston Fire Historical Society. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Old Northern Ave. Bridge". Architectural Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "The city wants to reopen the Old Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Leung, Shirley (22 January 2016). "City plans to start taking down Northern Avenue Bridge in March - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Leung, Shirley. "Can the Northern Avenue Bridge be saved? And at what cost? - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Boston launches ideas competition for new bridge". Bridge Design and Engineering. London: Hemming Group Ltd. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Harris, David L. (2016-05-26). "Here are the winning designs for a revamped Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  10. ↑ Logan, Tim (26 May 2016). "Big ideas (and lots of them) for the Northern Avenue Bridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 May 2016.

Coordinates: 42°21′16.31″N 71°2′57.99″W / 42.3545306°N 71.0494417°W / 42.3545306; -71.0494417

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